The number of criminal offences hasn't increased, but the calls for service have.

Police officers responded to 24,810 calls for service from January to November 2017, compared to 24,115 for the same time in 2016. But of those calls, there were only 3,012 criminal offences, most theft under $5,000, assault and mischief.

Police are responding to an average of 10 mental health calls a day.

That number is twice or three times more than reported in communities with populations of between 78,000 and 130,000.

“We're often responding to verbal disputes and antisocial behaviour where an individual is apprehended under the Mental Health Act,” Police Chief Shawn Devine said Tuesday during a police board meeting.

The service also responds to three domestic violence calls daily,

Deputy Police Chief Scott Tod added.

The demand is straining resources, Devine said, and has forced the service to change how it operates.

But programs such as the mobile crisis team and Gateway Community Mobilization Hub have helped police respond to the community's needs, Devine said.

The Hub, as it's often referred to, brings together representatives from local organizations to assess acutely elevated risk situations so incidents are prevented before they occur. Representatives include health professionals, educators, police officers and social workers, as well as probation and justice workers.

Tod said the community hub is a great resource that has been proactive in identifying issues and individuals in the community in need to assistance.

Devine called the mobile crisis team a blessing.

“They have helped us in apprehensions, as well as providing better care to those in crisis and directing them to the proper resources,” he said.

The mobile crisis team, launched in 2014, is comprised of a police officer and mental health nurse who work collaboratively to assist those with mental health issues or addictions.